What stands out worked out from the figures below

Salisbury has the most people working from home (23.3%).

Wakefield has the most affordable homes ($323k median).

What matters to you?

Pick a few. We’ll pull those rows to the top and mark which town comes out ahead on each. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Salisbury	Wakefield
People
Population	1,609Lowest	5,405Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.9%Highest NH: +4.6%	+2.4%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	51.5±4.5Highest 19% above NH	49.4±4.1Lowest 14% above NH
	Salisbury and Wakefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.1%±9.6Highest NH: 18.2%	18.7%±3.9Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Salisbury and Wakefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	24.9%±4Highest NH: 20.1%	18.8%±4.7Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Salisbury and Wakefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	37.3%Highest NH: 40.6%	26.2%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2%±1.1Highest NH: 6%	1.4%±1.1Lowest NH: 6%
	Salisbury and Wakefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$111,591±$17kHighest 13% above NH	$100,976±$11kLowest about the NH average
	Salisbury and Wakefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$363,400±$47kHighest 10% below NH	$322,800±$43kLowest 20% below NH
	Salisbury and Wakefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,917±$632Highest 29% above NH	$1,375±$434Lowest 8% below NH
	Salisbury and Wakefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,859Highest 12% below NH	$2,954Lowest 56% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	0%±100 NH: 48.2%	0%±82.9 NH: 48.2%
Below poverty line	7.1%Lowest NH: 7.2%	7.2%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	96.9%Highest NH: 72.8%	96.8%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Highest 3 yrs newer than NH	1980Lowest 1 yr newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minLowest 20% above NH	36 minHighest 34% above NH
Work from home	23.3%±10.6Highest NH: 16.8%	15.1%±9.3Lowest NH: 16.8%
	Salisbury and Wakefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#118 of 120 in NH
School district	Merrimack Valley School District	Wakefield School District
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	None yet

NH average · Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates 2020–2024; 2010 & 2020 decennial census; NCES Common Core of Data. “±” is the Census margin of error. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. School rank compares math and reading proficiency against the state average.